The program is in response to a state law letting more people carry handguns, Kissimmee Police Chief Frank Ross said.

''It might be apropos to use this in a positive way and make sure those people carrying firearms are trained,'' Ross said. ''The primary concern is safety and familiarization of people with firearms.''

The gun range, on Hoagland Boulevard near Webb Industrial Park, is used by the Kissimmee Police Department, Osceola County Sheriff's Department, Florida Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kissimmee commissioners Tuesday agreed to open the range to county residents.

Ross said one weekend a month will be reserved for residents to use the 20- position range. It will cost $5 a hour and residents must use their own pistols and ammunition.

The two-day safety course will cost $100 and probably be held on a Friday night and Saturday, Ross said. City Manager Mark Durbin said the fees should help pay for the extra $5,100 in liability insurance Kissimmee must pay before allowing residents on the range.

As planned, the course will involve four hours of classroom work and eight hours of range work. Classroom work will involve shooting technique, legal instruction and safety, Ross said. Teachers will be Kissimmee police officers who are certified pistol instructors.

Ross said officials will decide whether to cut back on range time to lower the course's cost. He said no start dates for the course or the weekend range use have been set.

And, he said, a lot more than a 12-hour course would be needed to make Kissimmee's streets as safe as possible.

''This brief course and the brief use they'll have of the range is not going to make people proficient,'' Ross said. ''It requires constant training.''

In other action Tuesday, commissioners agreed to pursue a residents fee to help finance $15.9 million in drainage work Kissimmee could face one day.

City consultants conducted a $100,000 study and found the need for extensive drainage work in Kissimmee and areas that may be annexed. The consultants recommended city officials decide whether to charge a monthly drainage-utility fee to home and business owners.

Durbin said a homeowner's fee might be about $2 a month and would be used to back bonds issued to pay for drainage improvement. City commissioners Tuesday agreed to conduct a more detailed study to establish standard fees per home and ways to implement the fees. That study will cost the city about $66,000. Durbin said fees may be in place by January.